All Roads Lead To This
by Florence2410UK
Summary: After their latest encounter with The Borg and their journey back in time it is time for our favourite OTP to finally make some changes to their relationship. But do they both want the same thing? This version of the story has a K rating for those who prefer a little left to the imagination. There is a M version for those of you who prefer more detail.


It was beautiful here he thought as he wandered up the hill behind the compound. If they had had to stay in this century then this wasn't the worst place they could have chosen.

"Tell them to find a quiet corner of North America and stay out of history's way," was the message he had given to Lily as his crew evacuated. The message had not been necessary in the end. Data and he had managed to avert disaster and destroy the Borg but it had been close, too close. How many times had they been in the same situation? Always they had managed to escape. Jean Luc wondered to himself when they would run out of luck.

He saw her then. She was leaning against a rock looking out at the forest. He wondered how long she had been there. She must have known soon after landing in her escape pod that he was not with them. He was a little nervous about seeing her again, after all he hadn't told her of his intentions. It was Lilly who he had briefly confided in, a total stranger. Although in his heart of hearts he knew Beverly would never have stopped him, it had been easier not to tell her of his intentions. She would have wanted to come with him, endangering her own life as she had so many times before, and that had been something he was not prepared to risk.

He stopped a little way from her and paused before finally he spoke.

Sitting on the rock with her back to him Beverly turned at the sound of her name to see him standing there. She resisted the urge to go to him and throw her arms around him, but she smiled and said,

"It's beautiful here. Do you want to share my rock?"

He sat down next to her and they were silent for a few minutes before he heard her say

"I got your message. It wouldn't have been a bad place to stay."

"No" he replied "and it is certainly quiet most of the time."

They sat again in silence for a few moments until he became aware that she was looking at him and he turned to find her studying him.

"I would have missed you" she said.

He paused, looking down to avoid her gaze, and then replied "Oh, you would have got by without me."

She walked away from him then and stood with her arms folded across her chest. It was as if she was trying to come to some sort of decision about what to say next. He approached her cautiously and putting his hands on her shoulders he turned her around to face him.

"I am sorry that I didn't tell you that I wasn't coming with you. When I heard Data's voice I knew that I had to try to find him"

"I know" she said, "you would have done the same for any one of us."

With that she turned and began to walk down the hill. He stood watching her go unsure of what to do next. Then he followed her.

He caught up with her before they got to the bottom of the hill. Reaching out he caught hold of her arm and stopped her. She turned around and looked at him. He loosened his grip and took hold of her hand.

"Beverly, please tell me whatever it is that you are holding back, I want to know." He placed his other hand under her chin and lifted her head so that he was looking into her eyes. She looked straight at him then and he heard her speak in almost a whisper.

"Don't you know Jean Luc? Don't you see? Of course we could have managed without you, but I'm not sure that I would have wanted to."

It was only then that he noticed she was crying. He let go of her and she turned and walked down the hill. Silently he followed her.

In the days and weeks that followed Jean Luc tried not to think about what she had said that evening. They resumed their delicate dance around each other where they orbited like satellites constantly drawn towards each other but never quite colliding. Not long before they were due to ship out again Jean Luc was walking through the gardens at Starfleet when he saw her sitting on a bench reading. As he approached she looked up and smiled at him.

"Hello stranger, where have you been? I haven't seen you in days."

"Oh you know," he replied "I seem to have had endless meetings of one sort or another with every official in the Federation."

She laughed "May be you are in need of a break from it all then."

"I probably am" he said "I had thought about going to France for a couple of days but I can't really spare the time."

She didn't respond straight away. Then she said "Why don't you just take me to dinner?"

And like that, it all seemed to fall into place. They arranged a time and place and when they said goodbye he kissed her on the cheek before setting off to his next meeting.

They met as arranged that evening. He was a little late but she didn't seem to mind. They ate and drank and chatted about their upcoming mission. Beverly of course had some gossip which he always enjoyed. As the end of the evening approached he began wishing that he could somehow prolong their time together. For her part Beverly was trying to desperately think of some way to keep him with her for as long as possible. She had hoped that after her admission that evening that she would not have wanted to continue without him he might have taken the opportunity to change their relationship. But he had not and she was not sure what to do next. May be it was up to her she thought, after all who could blame him for not wanting to offer her his heart again.

As they walked home she slipped her hand into his. She walked a little closer to him than usual in the hope that he would read her signal. If he did then he didn't make it obvious. When they came to her quarters they stopped briefly and she turned to him. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek and then she whispered into his ear "Would you like to come in?"

As she moved back to look at his face she saw his questioning look and smiled back at him. It was a warm and inviting smile and she saw him look down and then back up. Then he moved closer to her and pulling her against him he kissed her. As the door hissed open behind them he stopped and looked at her and when he spoke he said "I would like that very much."

She smiled and still holding his hand she walked through the doors. As they closed behind them she dropped the bag she was holding and the scarf around her shoulders and turning she pulled him towards her. When she kissed him this time she poured everything she had into it so that he could be in no doubt that she wanted him. He held her tightly responding to her touch and caressing her. When they finally parted they were both breathless.

"Stay with me" he heard her say "stay with me tonight."

With that he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

When she awoke she felt him behind her. His legs were tucked up beneath hers and his arm was wrapped protectively around her. She could feel his quiet breathing against her back and she smiled contentedly. Finally he was in her bed she thought to herself and she gently pulled his arm tighter around herself and went back to sleep.

Jean Luc awoke when the sun began to rise. He looked at Beverly as she lay tucked up against him. He thought back to the night before remembering the look on her face as she had cried out his name over and over again. He remembered the words he had whispered to her and he smiled to himself. Never had he believed that this would happen, that he would wake and find her lying beside him. That it finally had seemed miraculous to him.

He gently moved the covers and got out of bed to go in search of breakfast. She was just waking up when he returned and he caught a glimpse of her stretching in the warmth of the sun that was just peeking in through the window.

"Good morning" he said as he entered carrying a tray.

She smiled and said "Good morning to you too."

"I brought you breakfast. I thought that you might be hungry" he said setting the tray down on the bed.

She laughed and said "How well you know me Jean Luc."

She sat up in bed as he poured her a cup of coffee and waited for her to settle against the pillows before passing it to her. They chatted and ate and when they were finished Beverly got up and went to run a bath.

"Are you coming?" she said "there is room for two" and laughing he followed her.

In the few days that followed before they left Earth on their new mission Jean Luc and Beverly spent all their off duty time together but not once did they speak of the future and what would happen when they resumed their life on board the ship. Jean Luc was wary of pushing her into something she was not ready for. He remembered the events after their Kes Pritt experience all too well and he dreaded a repeat of that moment when she had walked out of his quarters.

As for Beverly she still had moments when she felt afraid. She too remembered what had happened after Kes Pritt when she had found herself retreating from him. She had felt terrible afterwards, fearing that she had done irreparable damage to their relationship. Slowly they had rebuilt their friendship and he had never pushed her for an explanation. She remembered how it had been without him all those years after Jack's death and how she had pushed for the position of CMO on The Enterprise because it seemed the only way to make contact with him again. She had been hurt by his apparent disinterest in both her and Wesley but they had managed to overcome it and build a new and stronger friendship. Now that they were lovers it was as if everything had finally clicked into place. She was wary of spoiling it if she started thinking too much about the future.

The final evening before they were due to depart they met for dinner with the rest of the senior staff on Earth. They spent a pleasant evening together and then taking their leave of the others they went for a walk in the gardens near the academy. There was a little bridge over the stream that ran through the gardens, half way across it they both stopped and leaned against each other looking at the reflection of the moon in the water. Neither spoke for a few minutes.

"Beverly" he finally said "we haven't ever spoken about that night have we?"

"Which night in particular?" she replied, though she knew perfectly well which night he was referring to.

"The night after Kes Pritt" he said, pausing for her to respond.

"Ah," she sighed "that night" and she turned and finished crossing the bridge, waiting for him when she got to the bank.

They walked in silence for a while along the path until finally she said

"I didn't mean no that night Jean Luc, I just wasn't ready to jump into bed with you. You never mentioned it again so I thought that you had given up on the idea."

"And now" he asked, "how do you feel now?"

She didn't speak straight away but she stopped walking and turning to him she looked into his eyes. Taking both his hands she whispered,

"I cannot imagine life without you, without this, whatever this is."

Then she smiled and leaned forward and kissed him.

When they parted he looked into her eyes and said the words she never thought she would hear.

"Marry me Beverly, marry me soon."

She smiled and whispered her answer into his ear.

Then they turned and walked back through the gardens towards the transport station.


End file.
